Always

sixteen

KYLER

I clutched the phone in my hand, leaning back against my car as I checked it once again. The flutter in my chest was beginning to become suffocating.

I resisted the urge to shoot her another text but damn, waiting was hard.

I heard a door click open and my eyes snapped up, catching the movement on her porch.

Shit.

The champagne coloured dress fell to just below her knees and the neckline dipped down her chest in a way that made it really fucking hard to remain respectful. She had curled her hair and I even noticed the slight eyeshadow and eyeliner she had put on as she began walking closer.

Luna was fucking beautiful. Breathtakingly beautiful.

"Hey." She whispered, coming to stand right in front of me.

A smile tugged at my lips. "Hey you." I pulled her to my chest just as she wrapped her arms around my neck in a hug. I dipped my head, burying  it in her neck and breathing in her perfume. "You look gorgeous."

She chuckled, leaning away slightly. Her eyes raked my face, sliding down my neck. "So do you. I love the all black." Her hands fiddled with the collar of my suit before she stepped back, letting her hands drop back to her sides.

I smiled, pulling her along with me as I opened the passenger's door for her. "Come on." Once she was seated, I closed the door and jogged over to my side quickly.

"I have something for you." I reached for the backseat, glancing at her face only to see how her face lit up. My hands curled around the bouquet of peonies and I held it out to her.

She stared at the flowers for a long moment, stunned. I bit my lip, shrugging.

"You said the proposal wasn't romantic enough. So I thought I'd..." I shrugged.

"Ky." She breathed. She took the flowers from my hand, a gentle smile splitting on her lips.

"Do you like it?" I asked.

My breath stuttered when, instead of answering, she leaned closer and pressed a gentle kiss to my cheek.

"It's perfect." She moved away, smiling. "Thank you."

"Anytime, Hudson." I whispered back. For a moment, I allowed myself to just stare at her. Just for a moment.

She reached for the radio just as I started the car. The ride to the school building was short and silent but it was comfortable enough.

The minute we came to a stop in front of the gymnasium, I wanted to leave.

The crowds of students were thick. The music could be heard all the way to my car. It was too loud, too much.

"I-" Luna spoke up, eyeing the crowds just as nervously. I watched as she turned to me helplessly.

There was no way we were going in there.

Without another word, I put the car into ignition and backed out of the driveway.

"What are you doing?" I heard her ask.

"We are getting out of here." And finding another place to be at.

***

"How do you find these places?" I laughed at the genuine awe in her voice.

We stood in the middle of a vacant park. A bench stood to our left and an old swing sat just a few feet away from us.

"When you have hours of free time on your hands, you tend to take up some questionable hobbies, Hudson." I commented, staring out at the swings.

I turned to her only to see her pulling off her heels and grabbing them in her hands. "Race you to the swings." And she broke out in a sprint.

I laughed before quickly chasing after her.

I let her get to the swings first, grinning as she laughed in delight. She dropped her shoes next to her and sat down on one of them. Silently, I sat on the one next to hers.

"You know," She spoke up. "This was my first dance."

I choked on air. "What?"

"Yeah. Back at the orphanage, we didn't really do dances."

I stared at her, dumbfound. "You let me ruin your first dance."

The guilt in my chest was sharp and swift. I should have just taken her to the dance. I really had to be selfish on this one and pull her away from her first dance.

"You didn't ruin my first dance." She assured me. And then, she laughed lightly. "God knows how awkward I would have been in there. I don't do well in crowds."

I stayed silently for a moment, contemplating.

I pulled out my phone, smiling as I shuffled through my playlist quickly. Clicking on that one song, I got up from the swing and turned towards her. She had a confused frown on her face as she stared at me.

I held out a hand. "Can I have this dance?"

"What?" She let out a breathy laugh but got up nonetheless, placing her hand in mine. I tugged her closer to me so we were chest-to-chest. Her arms automatically wrapped around my neck and my hands drifted down to grip her waist.

For a moment, she just stayed there, clearly not knowing what to do. I laughed lightly and guided her hips, swaying us gently to the music.

It didn't matter that we were badly out of step. It didn't matter that we kept stepping on each other's feet and missing beats. It didn't matter that we had just ditched the entire school dance and found a vacant swing in the middle of a park. It didn't matter that we had to get back home in a few hours and get back with our lives. It didn't matter that there was so much shit to deal with after the night was over. All that mattered was that we were here. All that mattered was that she was here with me.

All that mattered was that I was dancing with Luna Hudson.

I gripped her hand, laughing as I spun her away from me. She twirled, her face lighting up as I pulled her back to me. Her hands landed on my chest and I gripped her waist to steady her.

She breathed out a laugh and I joined her, dropping my forehead down to hers. Her hands reached up, cupping my cheeks lightly. My laugh caught in my throat.

We were so close. Our bodies pressed together, my hands gripping her hips, hers holding my face.

Shit. My eyes dropped down to her lips. I knew she noticed the small slip by the shudder in her breath and when I looked at her eyes, I noticed how they were trained on my face. I resisted the urge to smile.

I let my hands travel up from her waist, stopping at her neck. I cupped the sides, brushing my thumb at the hollow of her throat. She sighed out a breath, her eyes fluttering close. I smiled.

Tilting her head back slightly, I leaned closer. I could feel her breath on my lips.

I wanted to kiss her so bad.

"Kyler." She whispered.

"Yeah?" My voice was rough.

"I-we-" She stopped. I saw her swallow. "You don't like me."

I froze. Well, fuck.

Hesitantly, I smiled. Stepping away, I let my hands drop back to my sides and curled them into fists so she couldn't see how badly they were shaking.

She blinked, trying to catch her breath. I looked away when I saw a flicker of disappointment in her eyes.

Not tonight. Not right now.

Neither one of us was ready.

"I never said I did." I smirked, grabbing my phone and turning around, walking back in the direction of my car.

"Hey!" She called from behind and I heard her try to catch up. She pinched my arm. "You're an ass."

I laughed, rubbing the spot.

I'd kiss her.

Someday.